Minnesota’s Appeals Self-Help Clinic opened its doors to customers for the first time in January. The new advice-only clinic—designed to help unrepresented parties navigate the appellate process—is only the second of its kind in the nation. During this first pilot year, the clinic is being offered on the third Thursday of each month, from 2:30-4:30 […]

A landmark study by the American Bar Association and the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation depicts a profession troubled by problem drinking, depression, anxiety—and abiding fears about seeking help. In a pair of interviews, Joan Bibelhausen of LCL and study co-author Linda Albert discuss the findings and what the profession can do to address them. Interview Minnesota […]

Courage, serenity and wisdom are the three gifts commonly sought by many in those recovery programs that have embraced the serenity prayer as a guidepost. Those qualities are useful for all of us in many facets of living. They also provide helpful guidance as we consider the findings and implications of the recent ABA/Hazelden study […]

The recently released ABA/Hazelden survey1 and the new data on law students2 serve as a stark reminder of the challenges we face as a profession. Both studies confirm what we have known all along: Lawyers and law students suffer from chemical and mental illness at significantly higher rates than the rest of the population.3 What […]

Greg Schieber grew up in Caledonia, Minnesota, and returned to the area to practice law in nearby Harmony—joining Richard Nethercut, who for the prior 24 years had served as Harmony’s only lawyer. Schieber presently focuses on real estate, family law, municipal law, some civil litigation, and many of the other little things inherent in a […]

Though U.S. Supreme Court decisions such as Citizens United and Wisconsin Right to Life have dramatically refigured the campaign money equation, those decisions still afford room for further disclosure requirements. Minnesota is among the states whose legislatures have bills pending on the subject. Since Citizens United v. F.E.C,1 there have been many discussions about campaign […]

The expansion of Medicaid benefits under the Affordable Care Act has spurred federal action to ensure that states can more aggressively recover costs incurred by the government in injury cases. In Minnesota, where case law has limited Medicaid cost recovery in the past, attorneys handling Medicaid-related injury cases will need to master a new statutory […]

Many of us were moved by Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia’s passing last month, recalling his transformative legal theories, colorful writing style and forceful personality. The Justice had visited Minnesota several times during his long tenure on the Court. One of his last visits was to the University of St. Thomas on May 11, 2015. […]

Several popular MSBA services will be getting a facelift in 2016. The MSBA will be changing its internet legal research provider from Fastcase to Casemaker. While Fastcase has been a valuable practice resource for members, Casemaker offers similar service with several added features and benefits. Watch for more information coming soon. And like the current […]